Webelos to Scout Transition October 30, 2008

A lot has been said about Webelos to Boy Scout transition. As a Webelos den leader, it’s vital that work hard to make sure you boys go into Boy Scouts. Since much has been written about this topic, I won’t go into too much detail. But here are a few thoughts for Webelos den leader to consider.

First, as a den leader, you should consider changing the way you hold den meetings to look more like a troop meeting. What I did in both the Webelos dens I’ve led is the first year of the program was more like Cub Scouts – it was all about advancements and pack meeting preparation. But I made a shift in year two of the program. For that year (or partial year in most cases), I backed off of Webelos activity badge advancements and looked more to work on Scout skills, as our local troops do. I also took the boys to as many troop meetings as I could our second year. I wanted the first troop meeting they attended as official Boy Scouts to be old news, not something new and possibly intimidating.

Second, as a Webelos den leader, make sure you get to troop meetings yourself. Go early in your Webelos program and go often. If you want to pattern your meetings after troop meetings, you have to know what target you are aiming for. And once probably won’t be enough. Usually your pack has a troop or two it feeds into, and your Cubmaster should have the contacts for that troop. But don’t be afraid to go to your local Roundtable and ask some of the Boy Scout leaders there if you can come to their meetings. Be bold! Don’t forget that you have what they need – Webelos that will be transitioning soon.

Finally, one thing I’ve asked all of my parents is to commit to Boy Scouts for one year. There are so many good things about Boy Scouts, it’s a shame to not join. It’s too easy for the boys and parents to stop Scouting when they graduate from the Cub Scout program, and they will end up missing so much. So I ask my parents to join Boy Scouts and give it a year before making the decision to stay or not. By then hopefully they will see the promise of Scouting and how it molds and shapes a young man’s life.

If you have tips or advice on this topic, please leave it in the comments.

In Scouting,

-Jeff <><

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Very true, I will be talking to our den leader tonight about troop visits. Our den is 4 months into Webelos, but it is never too soon to start looking for the troop that will fit your boy. And the troop should be doing recruting also….they don’t get Webelos, they should earn them.

Hi Commissioner Cleary. I agree with you 100%. As soon as you begin Webelos, you should start looking for a troop. And a smart Boy Scout troop knows that we have what they need – Webelos! Have a great Scouting day!